Rising Shadows Book 1: Innoncence
by FeatherMist72
Summary: For generations, Hyrule has depended on heroes to save them in times of need. But, there are things even the mightiest heroes can't fight. Like droughts. Food is scarce, corruption runs amuck, and children are abandoned in the streets. Until one day, a young thief stumbles upon a certain princess... Spells are cast, secrets are revealed, and a spark of hope is lighted.
1. Chapter 1: Link

**Just to be clear, this is part 1 of a completely original story featuring new incarnations of Link and Zelda. As such, most of the side characters are ocs. Updates will come weekly! Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 1:**

Link

People were waiting for a hero. What they didn't know was that he was already there… But if they'd known who it was, they would've been outraged.

For the boy was not only orphaned and blue-eyed, he was also mute and poor. And a thief.

You see, if it was hard for a Hylian adult to survive, imagine just how difficult it would be for a child.

 _Very_ difficult.

So they stole.

Of course, most of them were ashamed of it, and would only steal what they needed. But the problem was still there, and adults don't like former thieves saving the world.

The number of thieving had augmented, since more and more parents failed to feed their kids, which would often run away or get kicked out to fend for itself.

But kids are bad at living on their own.

So they find friends.

Link had.

Except for the stealing, Link was actually a nice kid. He picked up all the kids living on the streets that were younger than him. Of course, that doubled the amount of food he had to steal, but he couldn't just leave the poor kids out _there_.

Right now, he had four kids under his wing. Four times more stealing.

Woohoo.

And that's exactly what he was doing.

Or rather, it was what he was preparing himself to do.

He was in a side alley that headed into the marketplace, probably the only spot where they still sold food. H was praying to the Goddess, begging her to forgive him for what he was about to do.

Then, staying close to the wall, he edged towards the market entrance. Once he was at the corner, he slowly looked around.

Perfect. Right to his left, there was an apple stand run by a dark-skinned man.

Link waited for the man to have costumers.

When a fat man came to ask the man about his apples, Link saw his chance. He crouched.

He didn't understand why people made stands out of counters. It was so easy to sneak at their sides without being seen. There was an overhang to the counter, hiding Link from the merchant's view, and the market was so crowded, other merchants wouldn't pay any heed to some ten-year-old boy crouching. They'd probably assume he was looking for something, or if they knew what he was doing, they didn't care. And Link didn't care about them as long as they didn't give him away.

Link slowly risked a glance over the counter. The merchant was still busy bragging about his apples to the costumer.

Great.

Link swiftly snatched away an apple, before crouching back down as fast as possible. He slid the apple in his bag and listened.

Apart from the normal brouhaha from the negotiating men, the ones that stopped to chat to each other, and the far off clip-clop of a horse, there was nothing.

Most importantly, there was no call for thieves.

Link peeked once more of the counter. The dark-skinned man was now showing the other one his most beautiful apple. It was smooth, and red as a sunset. Link was ready to bet it tasted even better.

But he had to content himself with apples from the basket over him, from which he had taken two more.

He ducked and listened again. No mention of thieves was heard.

He popped his head over the counter one last time.

The fat man was now handing the merchant the rupees. How did Link wish he had some of those.

 _Don't waste your time_ , he reminded himself.

Then, his hand quick as an adder, he grabbed three apples and ducked under the counter.

His movement had been swift and calculated, but he feared ( as he always did) that the merchant had seen him.

But there was no shouting.

Link slowly backed into the alley, when suddenly, his back ran into something.

There wasn't supposed to be a wall there.

-You gonna pay for those apples, kid? asked a deep voice.

Link slowly looked up. And gaped. It was a knight.

Now, Link had seen knights before. Just never that up-close-and-personal. And this one had all of his armor, a shield and a sword hanging at his side. That's how Link knew he was in trouble.

Knights didn't speak to ten-year-old boys unless they absolutely needed to.

-I said, are you gonna pay for those apples?

Link slowly stood up. Even if he would've wanted to answer, he couldn't.

-Kid, you gonna answer me?

Link ran.

He somehow managed to get past the knight and deeper in the alley. It was one of those alleys that seemed to stretch on forever, deeper and deeper into the city, until it stopped. Link, knowing the alley quite well, knew he still had awhile to run, but he'd rather not be caught off-guard by an ambush (the knight was screaming for back-up, it might very well happen.

Link couldn't les himself get caught.

He was a scrawny kid, even for a ten-year-old, but he could run pretty fast. That, plus the fact he knew the terrain better than the knight, kept him up from.

The knight on the other hand, had a bit of a tough time running in all that armor, but he was well-trained and was as enduring as a plough- horse.

That was what worried Link. When he'd tire, the guard would simply catch up, and it would all be over.

Link couldn't allow that.

So while he ran and nimbly dodged the few people and obstacles in his way, he tried to figure out a plan to evade his pursuer.

There.

In front of him, the alley swerved to the right, so he could see that straight in front of him, there was a house with an open window, right under a conveniently-placed wooden crate. It was so perfect he wanted to cry.

He gave a burst of speed before swiftly leaping on the crate, grabbing the windowsill as he desperately scrambled in.

Not a moment too either. Another group of knights had stood to the right as an ambush to catch the runaway.

Meanwhile inside the house, Link had managed to get up to the second floor without too much trouble. The old lady knitting in the corner had been pretty surprised to see a complete stranger leap through her window before bounding up the stairs, but there was nothing he could do about that.

He had now opened a window and that looked upon the alley, and the guards who were still loudly swearing at him.

He looked up, and saw the roof had a slight overhang right above him. Link knew he couldn't stay long in the house, because the guards would eventually come in. He reasoned that was better than any way to come out.

He reached out, grabbed the overhang, and swung himself out there.

The momentary silence below told him the guards were quite surprised by this.

Meanwhile, Link decided his new best friends were roof and counter overhangs before crawling on top of the roof. He turned and looked down at them at the knights, now all gaping at him.

Their surprise lasted a moment longer. Before they started cussing at him again, madder than ever.

Wonderful.

Now, you must understand. Although food wasn't rare yet, it was awfully close. Soon, the only way to get food would be buying it from foreigners. The guards knew this most of all, and knew any Hylian food should be prized.

So they couldn't allow a ten-year-old boy to just steal it. To them, this thief wasn't worthy, and he should be stopped.

One of the guards had the brilliant idea to scare down the boy, with arrows.

Link was sure of a few things: They wouldn't shoot directly at him. They wanted him to get scared, not killed (even _they_ weren't that cruel). But Link also knew bows and arrows were dangerous.

He decided to take out his hand-made slingshot and strike back. He got a surprised guard straight on the helmet, before dashing off to the next roof. He jumped, landed, and kept right on running.

He knew he couldn't stay on the roof for long. The guards would eventually find a way up. He had to keep going. Again.

 _Am I ever gonna get rid of these five?_

Because yeah, they were now five. Argh.

The good news was they were all to his right. If only there was a way for him to go down to his left…

And then, maybe it was an accident or perhaps it was luck, but he tripped and fell to the left, and down towards the street.

Now, you may be wondering (with good reason) how in the world could that be luck?

You're right. It isn't.

But the fact that someone had put a laundry line right there to dry clothes was!

Link managed to grab the now life-saving laundry line , and gently slid down the street.

He looked around, nonchalantly dusting his clothes. He didn't see any guards, but the pedestrians sure were surprised to see a ten-year-old kid fall from the sky like it was nothing.

He casually walked on, trying to get forgotten. Everyone eventually came back to normal, although still slightly in shock.

Link blended himself in the crowd. He was headed the opposite way to his house, just to make sure no one would follow him there. He panicked a little when he saw the group of knights appear out of a side-ally, but reasoned that if he looked inconspicuous, they'd ignore him.

At first, it worked. He'd carefully avoid any guard weaving through the crowd.

But when Link looked around and saw at least one guard in almost every direction, he knew he'd been spotted. And they were slowly closing in. Link took the only possible exit, another alley (he silently blessed every single alley in town).

He walked a moment longer, before running again. He wasn't sure where the alley went, only that it seemed to head away from home. At least, if he got caught, they wouldn't find the others.

But he was still lost.

Behind him, he heard a metallic clatter as the knights (more than six now) followed him. They still sounded far-off, but…

Right then, all of his hope disintegrated.

Because all of a sudden, the alley ended.

A wall.

 _No no no NO!_

Yes. A wall.

And behind him, the guards.

He was trapped.


	2. Chapter 2: A Green Garden

**There was a problem with the formatting of the last chapter, but I fixed it! Sorry about that, it shouldn't happen again. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 2:**

A green garden and the sound of music

He couldn't believe it.

All this, to run in a WALL?!

 _Oh, the gods hate me._

There was no way out. He was unavoidably and indisputably trapped.

 _It's not fair! I just want to live! I just want us all to live!_

But the knights wouldn't care about that. To them, a thief is a thief and they're all bad. He'd probably get sentenced to death, or prison.

 _No_. He wouldn't give up now. The guards were getting closer, even though it would still take them a while to get there.

He pawed the wall, the floor, searching for a door, a trapdoor, a loose brick, _anything_.

Meanwhile, the knights were gaining on him

Desperate now, Link pushed the cursed wall's bricks. He knew it was stupid and possibly hopeless, but maybe, _maybe_ , there was a hidden door, or a secret passage or…

 _A moving brick._

No, he hadn't dreamed. He pushed the brick again, and it slowly went deeper in the wall, making a sound like _click-click-click-click… CLACK!_

He let go of the brick, and the wall slowly revolved, like an opening door.

The knights were right around the corner now.

Without even looking, he dashed in, closed the door/wall, and, exhausted, crashed on the soft carpeted floor.

As he caught his breath, his heart still racing, he faintly heard the guards, sounding quite confused as they said how they were _sure_ the thief had gone this way. They could believe anything they wanted, all that he cared. As long as they didn't find the secret door…

Finally, the voices faded and were replaced by silence.

Link breathed a sigh of relief, now realizing he'd been holding his breath.

Thank the _gods_ there had been this secret door to here.

By the way, where _was_ here?

Then, he noticed something weird. There was a sky over his head. But if he was lying on carpet, shouldn't there be a ceiling there?

He rolled on his stomach, and for the second time in one day, gaped.

Because what he had mistaken for carpet, was grass. Grass, green and growing and so _much_ of it. He'd never seen anything like it, a miniature sea of green tendrils. And what a green it was! Vibrant and almost glowing as the sun's rays seemed to go right through them. Cool to the touch and with such a nice earthy smell, Link thought it was beautiful.

He plucked a sprig, studied it. Again, he thought how he REALLY liked the color. He wasn't sure why. The whole sprig was criss-crossed with darker veins, where the water went.

 _So there must be water around here…_

He wondered why there was water here, but not elsewhere…

 _Quit your daydreaming. You still don't know where you are._

He looked up, thinking nothing could surprise him anymore. He was wrong.

First of all, it was huge.

The whole place seemed endless, although that was impossible. The wall behind him (which was at least three storeys tall) seemed to circle the whole thing.

The second surprise were the trees.

Most of the trees Link had seen in his life were sick, dead, or dying. But all of those before him were alive and well, with at least a hundred leaves each. And that wasn't all! Under the trees were bushes, flowers of every color, the softest moss ever, and so much grass…

Link had never seen so much living vegetation in one place. Could you blame him if he was amazed?

Then, there was the third, perhaps greatest surprise.

While he slowly walked to the nearest tree, he noticed something strange.

There was a path.

And as he looked, he saw dozens of paths, all part of the same path system.

 _Could I be in a garden? But who could have a garden in the middle of a draught?_

Then the answer imposed itself. Because when he looked up, he saw it.

The castle.

The secret passage in the wall had opened to the royal gardens.

 _Oh no. Oh no no no no no. If I'm caught here, I'll be in even more trouble than if those guards had taken me._

To Link, the safest thing to do was to walk away the way he'd come from and pretend it had never happened.

And he'd been about to do just that, when he heard it.

Music. Singing. The beautiful sound of voice and instrument as one. Unclear and far-off, but obviously there.

Curious, Link walked to the beautiful sound's source. As he got nearer, the sound got clearer and the voice more beautiful.

He realized it was a young girl's voice, and the instrument sounded something like a harp.

He stepped off the path, opting for a stealthier way through the trees. He most certainly had _not_ changed his mind about prison.

Farther ahead, Link could see the woods opened up to a clearing, which was cobble-stoned with sand-colored rocks. He crouched to the ground and crawled to the row of bushes that circled the clearing.

A leaf tickled his nose, and he plucked it off and stuffed it in his pocket.

He peeked through the branches and…

He hadn't known what to expect, but…

In the middle of the courtyard, there was a fountain with more water then he'd ever seen in one place, but that's not exactly what he was looking at.

On the edge of the fountain sat the source of the wonderful music.

He knew the voice had sounded young, but… This girl was his age. She had long auburn hair that shined in the sun, and which had obviously been brushed not too long ago. Her eyes were closed as she plucked the small harp's strings. She was wearing a long orchid-purple dress with golden trimmings, and on her head was…

 _No way._

A tiara.

Was this…? No, that was impossible.

 _The Princess?_


	3. Chapter 3: Zelda

**Oh wow I wonder if that princess character in the last chapter is important in any way :3c**

* * *

 **Chapter 3:**

 **Zelda**

 _This is not good._

He had to get away, _now_.

If she saw him…

She was still singing, completely oblivious to the fact that he was right _there_.

He'd never seen the princess. In fact, no one in the whole city had ever seen her. She never came out, and it was said that she was ferociously protected by her father. That's why Link was surprised she was alone.

At that moment, she stopped and started another song. He realized he knew that one: It was his favorite on the ocarina.

 _You should go,_ Said the small voice of reason at the back of his mind.

 _Shut up!_ Screamed the rest of his brain. But Link had learned the hard way that the small voice was always right.

He slowly backed away, really hoping he wouldn't step on a…

-CRACK!

… Dry twig.

All of a sudden, the music stopped. The girl called out:

-Who's there?! Show yourself, or I'll have to use my, uh… Lyre…

Link stayed still, praying not to be seen.

-I know you're there, uh… Whoever you are…

She was now standing, looking around, brandishing her harp like a weapon.

-There's no point in hiding! Come out, wherever you are!

This time, her tone was slightly more forceful, so she actually sounded like a princess.

And this time, for some reason he didn't understand, he ignored the small voice and stood up. At the time, he didn't know what repercussions would come of this act.

When she caught sight of him, her eyes widened. Then, she burst out laughing.

-You scared me to death! I thought you were a moblin or something! I…

She started laughing even harder. Link didn't see just _what_ was funny, but her laugh was so engaging, he couldn't help but smile.

She was sitting now, trying to gain control over her laughter. She took a long shaky breath and said:

-Come over here. It's been a while since I've laughed this much, or seen someone my own age.

He timidly stepped out in the open, just now noticing how filthy and bedraggled he must look.

-Come on, don't be shy, She called: I just want to talk to you.

He walked towards the fountain, towards her. He wondered if he should bow or something.

-You can sit down if you want! She said, patting a place beside her on the fountain's edge.

He sat.

She looked him up and down. He hopped she didn't see him blush.

-I haven't seen you around before, have I? What's your name?

Link flinched, like every time someone asked him that question. How are you supposed to answer a question like that when you can't speak?

He never had. From as far as he could remember, he'd never spoken a word in his life. His voice just didn't work.

And when people didn't know that, things got complicated real fast. They'd go "Aren't you gonna answer me?" or "Did you even hear me?", and he'd helplessly try to explain his inability to answer. Some got it and would take pity on him, but most simply didn't understand and despised him. Link didn't want to be pitied or hated, he just wanted to be understood.

He was just about to gesture that fact when she said:

-You don't _have_ to tell me if you don't want to. I just think it would be nice if I didn't have to call you "you" all the time. I'm Zelda, by the way.

 _Zelda_? It seemed familiar, like he'd heard it before. But he couldn't remember where or when.

Although she'd just said he didn't need to, he still wanted her to know his name, or at least to communicate with her. The only way for him to do that was hand gestures.

Lucky for him, he was quite good with his hands, mostly because they were the hands of a thief and a musician. He could do amazing things with his fingers: he could twist them into bird-like shapes, or move them in soft flowy movements, like a jellyfish. He also had a knack at communicating in what you might call sign language. If everyone could speak that way, life in Hyrule would be a hundred times easier for him.

But they couldn't, so to communicate, he had to simplify his movements into charades, so they would be clearer to non-signers.

-So…? She inquired.

He decided to tell her about his muteness, charade-style.

First, he lifted three fingers in the air, to indicate there were three words. Zelda seemed surprised by this, but she didn't ask any questions, so he kept going.

He lifted one finger to indicate the first word. He then pointed to his eye.

-An eye…

He pointed again.

-Eye… I?

He nodded, and lifted two fingers: second word.

He placed his fingers in an "x". It took longer for her to guess, but she finally got it.

-I… Can't?

He nodded again, pleased with himself.

He raised three fingers. _Third and last word_.

This time, he put his hand to his mouth then moved it away, mimicking a voice.

-I… Can't… Speak?

He nodded.

-Oh…. I see. So that's why…

She seemed to think for two seconds and then:

-Wait here, I'll be right back. And she dashed off to the castle. Link wondered what she was up to.

He was surprised about her reaction. No pity, no grand statement. She had understood, that's all. He wished more people reacted like that.

Zelda still wasn't back, and Link was starting to fear someone would find him before she did, while he was out in the open like this. So he walked to the nearest tree and skillfully climbed it. He'd never climbed a tree before, but he seemed to instinctively know what to do.

By the time Zelda got back, he was comfortably perched on a branch, examining a leaf he'd plucked out of it.

Zelda walked up to the tree, a curious smile on her face.

-You have an intriguing behaviour, you know that, don't you?

He shrugged in answer, and jumped down next to her.

She smiled and then said:

-Look what I got! It'll be easier to communicate this way.

She brandished a pile of paper, a quill, and a bottle of ink.

Link's eyes widened. It had been a long time since he'd seen actual paper. It reminded him of happier days, long ago when he still had an actual home…

He followed her to the fountain, where she was busying herself setting up the paper, ink, and quill.

-So… As I said earlier, my name is Zelda. What's yours?

Link took the quill dipped in ink. It had been such a long time…

Seeing his hesitation, Zelda asked:

-You… Do know how to write, right?

He nodded dismissively. Of course he did. It had been a while, but he still knew.

He put the quill on the paper.

 _Link_.

-Link… She said. Link couldn't help thinking he liked the way she said it.

-Link… I've heard it before… It's important… She said thoughtfully. Then, she seemed to come back to reality.

-No last name?

He shook his head.

-But… Don't you have some sort of family?

He wrote:

 _Not really_ …

-Oh… I'm sorry… I didn't mean to…

 _It's alright. I never knew them anyway._

-Um… Sure, She said. Then, in a humoristic tone, she added:

-Last names are overrated anyway. I mean, who in the world calls me Zelda Lillian Van Hylia the eighth after all?

She laughed and he smiled.

To him, being an orphan really was no big deal at all. He'd been like that through most of his life. You get used to it after a while.

There was a moment of silence, then she asked:

-You know, I'm surprised father let you in. He says people my age are "bad influence" or something.

Link looked down, biting his lower lip.

-Father did let you in, right?

 _Um… Funny thing you should ask… Let's just say I accidentally opened this secret door and…_

Silence. He kept on writing.

 _I can leave if you…_

-NO! She cried, then regaining composure, she began:

-You know, as I said earlier, my father is obsessively overprotective and I…

-ZELDA?! How many times did I tell you not to go in the gardens alo-… Zelda, who is that with you?


	4. Chapter 4: Slyrunner

**Late update this week! I was away for Thanksgiving, so I couldn't update when I usually do... To reward you guys's patience though, we're gonna have a double update! :D**

* * *

 **Chapter 4:**

 **Slyrunner**

 _This is bad_ , Thought Link.

 _I told you so…_ Said the small voice.

 _Shut up_. For some reason, he felt no regret.

-Um… Funny thing you should come now Father… You see, I was…

-HOW MANY TIMES DID I TELL YOU NOT TO TALK TO STRANGERS?! Boomed Zelda's father.

For his credit, Zelda's father was an imposing man. He stood at least six-and-a-half feet tall, with assorted scruffy beard and eyebrows. With his rounded belly, he didn't look like the kind of person that couldn't afford food (which was the majority of people at the time). But the glint in his eye didn't lie. He would protect anyone he cared for with his last breath if it came to it. And right now, he seemed to be intent on protecting his daughter (even if it was from absolutely nothing).

-Father, this is Link. He accidentally came in, and…

The King's (because he was the king) eyes widened at the mention of Link's name, and they widened even more at Zelda's last statement.

-WHAT?! And you didn't signal him!? You know strangers are not allowed! AND DON'T THINK I FORGOT ABOUT YOU!

That last outburst was directed t Link, who had meanwhile been sneaking back into the woods.

-GUARDS! SEIZE HIM!

And then, the guards (at least a dozen of them) came pouring out and towards the boy.

 _Not again…_

He turned, ready to bolt, but there were guards there too.

They had circled him.

He backed down until his back hit bumped into something. Something that felt hard, rounded, and rough. He looked up. _A tree_.

Could this be his saving grace?

-This boy is under arrest for trespassing on royal property. He will be sentenced to the dungeons, until…

-But it's not fair! Cut Zelda. Link thought her brave to stand up to her father like that.

-Zelda, it's for your own good.

-What?! He didn't do anything wrong! This is all just a misunderstanding!

 _Tell him Zelda!_ Thought Link.

He was looking up at the tree, trying to figure out how it could help him.

Wait, what was that up there?

He saw a branch a bit to his left, which he could reach if he jumped high enough. He'd have to be quick, but he just might do it. While everyone was occupied with the father/daughter discussion, Link leaped and swung himself on the branch.

-He's getting away! Called one of the guards.

-Up a tree? Inquired another.

-Get him!

But Link was already vaulting to the branch that would save him.

-Wait, what's that on the branch? Noticed a guard.

Link pulled himself on the branch. At the very end of it hung a papery object, surrounded by tiny yellow and black bugs.

Yup. A wasp nest.

Link took out his slingshot.

-Kid, don't you dare…

Zelda gasped, and her father cursed.

Link shot at the nest, and it went tumbling down to the guards. Link usually wasn't this cruel when escaping, but when it was the only way…

He jumped, rolled, and hit the ground running, as the guards were attacked by buzzing bug-warriors.

He leapt over bushes and ran around the trees, trampling the cool grass with his bare feet.

Finally, he found the wall he'd came in through, when…

-Link, wait! It was Zelda.

He turned to her.

-Listen, I know this didn't exactly work out well, but you are the first person my age to talk to me in a while, so… If it's not too much to ask… Promise me you'll come back?

He didn't hesitate. He nodded.

She grinned, then stated in an official tone:

-Link, I officially dub thee Link Slyrunner. May the stars light your path, and may you hold the promise you made to me.

He nodded.

She smiled even more, then turned and ran the opposite way.

-He went this way!

The guards, still rattled by the wasp attack, didn't question the girl and ran away from Link's direction.

He took a last look at the magic garden, before pressing on the brick that had gotten him here in the first place, and disappearing on the other side of the wall, as it closed up behind him.

 _I'll be back Zelda._


	5. Chapter 5: Unfair

**Zelda's dad is a bit of a butt, isn't he? :p**

 **Enjoy, and see you next week!**

* * *

 **Chapter 5:**

 **Unfair**

The guards starting combing the gardens looking for the "trespasser", but Zelda had the strange feeling they wouldn't find him…

She was now sitting on a chair in front of her father's work desk, while he paced his office droning on and on about how important her safety was to him and blah blah blah…

Zelda was only half-listening though. For some reason, she found the hung-to-the-wall map of Hyrule absolutely FASCINATING compared to her father's monologue.

-Zelda, are you listening?

Zelda jumped, but quickly caught herself.

-Of course, Father! You were telling me the importance of always signaling anything strange to a guard.

The father didn't really have anything to prove his daughter wasn't actually listening, but he still pushed on:

-You seem distracted.

-I just realized I forgot my lyre in the garden.

It wasn't a complete lie: she really had forgotten her lyre. But she'd been thinking of adventures, forests and hidden kingdoms.

-I'll get a guard to fetch it.

-That's alright: I'll get it myself. She stated.

-Zelda, what did I _just_ tell you?

She sighed angrily:

-Can't I walk in my own gardens? I'm not a baby anymore: I can look for myself! Those gardens are perfectly safe!

He banged his fist on the desk:

-No they're not! What happened today is living proof of it! If this hooligan can waltz in like that…

-Link's not a hooligan!

Zelda made a mental note to find out what was a hooligan.

The King threw his hands in the air:

-See, there you are now, defending a complete stranger! More proof of your naïveté!

Zelda's jaw dropped.

-Naïve? You're calling me naïve! You're the one freaking out over fallen leaves! Ever since mom died…

-DON'T SPEAK OF YOUR MOTHER LIKE THAT! He screamed, banging his fist on the desk so hard it shook.

-But it's true! She cried back, now with tears in her eyes. You won't let me do anything because of something I had nothing to do with! All I want is a friend!

He sighed heavily.

-I'll think about it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting with King Caspian.

He walked out of his study, leaving his crying daughter in the company of a guard.

-This is unfair… She sobbed.

It wasn't her fault her mother drank the stupid poisoned wine. She couldn't help it if she was feeling lonely and Link… Well, was it her fault if he had felt more than just a complete stranger?

Again, she got the distinct feeling she'd heard that name before.

She wiped her tears, and made a decision: she'd listen to her father's advice for a while, so as to make this event forgotten.

She'd run her own little secret investigation.

-Guard, would you escort me to the library? I have some studying to do.


	6. Chapter 6: Link's family

**I was excited about getting this chapter out... Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 6:**

 **Link's "family"**

Once outside of the garden-turned-madhouse, Link collapsed on the floor, breathing heavily. By some trick of destiny, he knew his life would never be the same.

Ever.

He had to see her again.

But not now.

His fingers ran over the apples in his satchel. He hadn't stolen these for nothing.

He got up and started walking out of the alley. It's only then that he noticed the temperature change. In the garden, it had been warm with a cool breeze. Here, it was just heat.

Heavy, smouldering heat.

He wondered why that was.

He looked up at the sun. It was a bit after noon, the hottest point of the day. Great.

He longed to go back to the underground cellar he called home, but if he came back now, it would look like he had wasted his time.

So he decided to win some quick rupees before going.

Now in the main street, he found a relatively cool shaded spot before sitting on the ground, taking out his ocarina, and a small tin goblet which he placed in front of him.

He played whatever song went through his mind, his fingers dancing across the holes as he played a fun lively tune.

Some stopped to listen for a while, a few threw in a rare green rupee, but most were too busy to even look a t him.

But still he played to his heart's content, temporarily forgetting all his life's concerns.

He only realized how much time had passed when he heard the bells. They rang only twice during the day: once in the morning, and once in the evening, to announce the opening/closing of the city gates.

He stopped mid-note, and looked up at the sky, now orange and red from the setting sun. He'd intended to play only half an hour. _Oops_.

He quickly put away his ocarina, pocketed the meager five rupees he'd won during the day, before running off to the Wolf's Call.

The Wolf's Call was a small inn (which could double as a restaurant) and was ran by a grumpy man named Orf. Link sometimes wondered if he was grumpy about having such an ugly name. The name "The Wolf's Call" was allegedly given to the inn because one of the "chosen heroes" had come here in wolf form, howling so loud it scared away all the lurking monsters or something like that.

Link knew he should give more importance to his kingdom's saviours, but the truth was it didn't seem so important to him.

He didn't go in through the front door. He walked around the back, and came in through a trapdoor, which led to one of the inn's three cellars.

He let himself in.

The moment his feet touched the floor, he was tackled to the ground by a tiny screaming force:

-LINK! YOU CAME BACK!

His surprise turned into amusement when he realized the hyper, shrill-voiced ball of energy was none other than little Willow, the youngest of the cellar's inhabitant.

-Well of course he did, you bird-head. Where else would he go? Sneered a dark-haired boy sitting in the corner.

-Zarkan, be nice! Scolded Maeka. She then turned to Willow and, in a nicer tone, added:

-I told you he would.

Link smiled and gently pushed Willow off of him. She stuck out her tongue at Maeka and said:

-I was still worried.

-But not as much as Jenifaël was… Mocked Zarkan.

Link flinched. He hadn't yet considered his adoptive sister's reaction.

-But why were you late, Link? Inquired Maeka.

-What did you bring us? Asked Meryk, who'd been silent so far.

-Did you get caught?! Asked Willow.

Zarkan was about to send a jeering response to her, when suddenly, the curtains at the top of the stairs were brutally pulled aside, and there stood Jenifaël. With her wildly tangled hair and her uneven angry stare, Link couldn't help but find her scary.

-WHERE, IN HYRULE, HAVE YOU BEEN?!

Zarkan snickered evilly as Jenifaël stomped down the wooden stairs, posting herself in front of Link, crossing her arms angrily.

Link, still sitting on the ground, looked up at her and smiled innocently.

She rolled her eyes at him.

-There better be a good reason.

 _Oh believe me, there is,_ Signed Link.

Jenifaël and Link looked nothing like each other. Jenifaël, with her tan skin, ruby-red hair and mismatched green and maroon eyes gave a feral, untamed look to her, which usually scared anyone who made eye contact with her.

Him on the other hand, was pale-skinned, with dusty-brown shaggy hair and deep sky-blue eyes, which often got him mistaken as just a pretty boy, but don't let that fool you. He was as wild and untamed as Jenifaël's mismatched eyes.

Yes, Jenifaël and Link looked nothing like each other. But they were still siblings.

Or very close to that anyway.

You see, Jenifaël's parents had lived in a farmhouse for a long time before she was born, where they'd raised sheep and grown wheat and grain. One day, they found an abandoned baby, which they adopted and named Link, because of his blue eyes.

They'd never intended to have children, but they couldn't just leave the baby _there_ , in the middle of Hyrule fields for any wild creature to find.

Then, two years later, guess who came along?

That's right. Jenifaël.

Although he was two years older than her, she was the boss. It simply was that way.

They spent happy years in that farm, Link shepherding sheep and goats, her taking care of the chickens while their parents were out cultivating the fields. This was four years before the drought started.

Then, on a day which Link perfectly remembered, his adoptive parents went on a "short trip to town" to "sell some stuff". They were supposed to be back in two days.

The first day went smoothly enough.

The second too, except for one thing. The parents weren't back. At first, Link wasn't too worried. Maybe the second day had been so busy they'd needed to rest another night to come back.

The third day came.

 _Maybe the cart got stuck and slowed them down?_

The fourth. _Maybe the cart broke?_

The fifth. _They got lost?_

The sixth. _Very lost?_

The seventh. _Very, very lost?_

By the eighth day, the siblings started to wonder if they were ever coming back. On the ninth day, two possibilities opened up to the kids. Either their parents had abandoned them, or they'd died.

They still decided to wait another week before making a final decision.

And the week went on.

And on.

And on.

They still weren't back.

It had now been sixteen days, during which the kids had been rationing on stale bread and goat cheese. The parents still weren't back.

Finally, Jenifaël dropped the bomb.

-Link, we can wait as long as we want. They ain't coming back.

Link had been staring at the fire at that moment, expressionless.

-We can't stay here, Link. It'll drive us crazy.

Link knew she was right, but he still couldn't believe his parents would leave them like that. Silent tears rolled down his cheeks.

Jenifaël sighed sadly:

-I know, Link. Believe me, I feel the same way. But we need to move on.

 _And where will we go?_ Signed Link, seriously hoping she'd have no idea.

(Of course she knew sign language. It was one of the first languages she'd learned. When you have a mute brother, it's kind of important to know.)

-Do you remember what mom said about travelling? How she kept talking about Hyrule City, how she said it was the best place to start over? How she kept saying she'd take us there one day?

Link nodded.

-We need to start over.

 _So we're going there?_

-Yes. We are. Even if it's without her.

And so they swiftly packed their things and stacked them in a wagon, which was to be pulled by oxen (the horses were gone with the adults).

Link stood at the front of the house, staring at it, imprinting the smallest detail in his mind, because he knew he wouldn't be back.

This was where he'd spent all his days so far, this was the fortress of his memories. Tears flowed down his face at the thought of leaving it.

-Link, you're coming? Softly asked Jenifaël.

He wiped his tears and nodded, before climbing in the back of the wagon. He stared at the house as it got further, until it disappeared at the horizon.

 _Farewell_.

That had been four years ago.

At first, they had a hard time surviving, with their only belongings being the wagon and what was in it.

Going through Hyrule hadn't been hard, but it hadn't been easy either. Link would scare off any monster that came close with his slingshot, but they always came back.

When they finally arrived at Hyrule, they'd been pillaged at least twice by goblins and the oxen had large claw-marks left by flying monsters.

They managed to sell the battered wagon and oxen for a few rupees, which they planned to spend on a room at the nearest inn.

But the innkeeper couldn't let them do that.

That innkeeper was none other than Orf.

You see, even though he was grumpy and had an ugly name, he had a good soul, and agreed to have the children live in one of his cellars, at the condition that they'd help run the inn during the day.

Jenifaël, being a wonderful cook, quickly found a job in the inn's kitchen.

Link on the other hand, burned, dropped, and messed up everything he touched, to the point where Orf lost his patience. He very politely asked Link to "Help by staying out of the way".

And so, Link spent his time wandering through the city, daydreaming and sometimes playing his ocarina.

The stealing came along a bit later.

You see, it all started when Link was eight, when he found Maeka. At that time, she was a frail four-year old girl, outcast from her parents and society.

Like his parents before him, he couldn't just leave her there.

So he took her in.

Jenifaël was doubtful of this at first, but she ended up liking the extra company. But the meager portion of the inn's leftover food wasn't enough.

And so he started stealing.

At first, it was small portions, just enough to feed them three. But when Link brought in Zarkan, then Meryk and Willow the stealing grew. Of course, Orf let them take some more leftovers, but it still wasn't enough.

And when the drought started, it only got worse. The only good thing was that the less they ate, the less they needed, and the less he stole. But was all that REALLY a good thing?

But it's not like they had a choice.

So that was how they lived to this day. It was hard, but it worked. Sort of.

Jenifaël sighed:

-You'll explain to me after we ate.


	7. Chapter 7: Charades

**Enjoy...**

* * *

 **Chapter 7:**

 **Charades**

-So what are we eating? Asked Willow.

-Bark, Answered Zarkan.

-I don't want to eat _THAT_! Cried Willow, before adding:

-Poor doggie.

-Um, Willow, I think he meant the thing that grows on trees… Tipped Maeka.

-Oh…

Zarkan rolled his eyes.

-We have… Started Jenifaël as she took down a cauldron and placed it over the fire.

-Leftover beef stew and… Link, did you bring anything else?

Link took out the apples.

-Beef stew and apples. Yum-yum. Said Zarkan sarcastically.

Jenifaël ignored his comment and plopped a bowl of stew in front of him. She then served the rest of them around the wooden table before sitting down herself. They then thanked the goddesses before digging in.

-Today, I saw a butterfly! Exclaimed Willow.

-Uh, Willow, it was a moth, Precised Maeka.

-No! It was a butterfly! It's just that he was in a bad mood, so he was gray!

They all sighed. This was followed by a moment of silence as they all ate Jenifaël's stew, delicious as always.

-So Link… Said Jenifaël, who had finished her stew and was now crunching her apple:

-What did happen?

Link put down his spoon. _How do I start this?_

-Yay, he's gonna tell us a story! Cried Willow.

-Tell us! Tell us! Added Meryk.

The kids loved it when Link told stories. Since he couldn't speak and they all didn't understand sign language, it was more like a huge game of charades.

So he started the silent counting of his day, starting from the moment he'd gotten out in the morning.

He told them about the market, the dark-skinned man running the apple stand, the way he stole those six apples they were eating, and (in a very suspenseful way) about how he got caught by the knight.

-Did he put you in prison? Shyly asked Meryk.

-How did you get away? Demanded Maeka.

-Did you DIE?! Asked Willow.

They all stared at her.

-What? Just asking…

-Uh, sure… Just keep going Link.

He nodded and kept telling his story. He told them about the chase, how he fell, and then about the alley. He hesitated, then told them about the rotating wall, the grass…

-Woahwoahwoah, time out! Exclaimed Jenifaël. Green grass? Last time I've seen green grass, Willow was barely a feet tall!

-That's not nice! Cried Willow.

-Well, you know what I mean! It's just not possib-…

-She was interrupted by Link's silent argument. He took out the blades of grass and leaves he'd plucked from the gardens.

In silence, they passed the objects around the table.

When they all seemed convinced the leaves and grasses were genuine, he kept going.

He told them about the trees, the bushes, the flowers… Then, about the sound of the harp and the beautiful singing… Then, finally, his meeting with Zelda.

-Okay, so… You were in the palace gardens… And you saw the princess… Resumed Zarkan.

Link nodded.

Zarkan looked around the table. And then started laughing.

-This is absurd! Practically no one has ever seen the princess or the gardens, and you're telling us you just waltzed in there and came back out?! Alive?! Like she'd even look at you.

 _Oh believe me, she did more than just look at me. She talked to me._

Zarkan brutally became serious:

-You're kidding, right?

Link smiled, and continued his explanation. How Zelda found a way for them to communicate, what they talked about, and then how they got caught by her father. He waited for them to pass some comments, but they all remained silent.

He told them about the guards, the tree, the wasps and how he got out. However, he hesitated about telling them of The Promise. It somehow seemed too… Personal. Lucky for him, they didn't push for details.

-So… Started Jenifaël. That's why you're late?

Link slowly nodded.

-But, that's a stupid lie! Exclaimed Zarkan.

-Shut up, Said the others.

Jenifaël took a deep breath and sighed:

-For once, I'm kind of siding with Zarkan. That story's hard to believe.

Link breathed out exasperatedly. He knew his story sounded improbable, but they should know he wasn't the kind of person to lie.

Jenifaël picked up a leaf on the table.

-You have me quite confused. Why would the palace gardens be green, when all else is dying? And how?

-Maybe because the royal family is a bunch of selfish magicians? Mumbled Zarkan.

There was silence as they all considered this.

 _Zelda wouldn't do that!_ Thought Link. He'd seen her for barely less than five minutes, but his heart screamed that it wasn't her style to do nothing. If she could help the kingdom, she would.

Her father on the other hand…

-Well… Said Jenifaël, interrupting his thoughts: Maybe we should sleep on this, and it'll be clearer in the morning. But for the meantime, I'm not sure I believe you, Link.

Link sighed loudly.

- _I_ believe you, Link! Cried Willow.

Maeka sighed:

-Willow, you'd basically believe anything Link says.

-If he told you unicorns live at the bottom of a cliff, you'd jump down in a heartbeat. Added Zarkan.

-I would NOT! She then turned to Link: Are there really unicorns at the bottom of cliffs?

Link shook his head.

-Oh… That's too bad. She said.

Link rolled his eyes and slowly pushed her to her bed. Or, maybe "bed" is an overstatement. More like 6 rectangular alcoves dug in the earthy walls, with a pile of straw as a mattress and a scratchy wool blanket.

Since she was too small to get there on her own, Link gently lifted her onto her bed.

-But Link, did you _REALLY_ see the princess?

He nodded.

-Was she pretty?

He nodded again.

-Did you fall in love?

He gave her a weird look.

-Just asking. Good night!

 _Sure…_ Thought Link.

He went to "bed", even though he knew he wouldn't fall asleep.

He had to see her again.

But they'd all notice if he went _now_. So he waited for them to fall asleep. While he waited, he quietly thumbed the holes on his ocarina. It had been a gift from his father. In the time when he still had one.

He glanced at the opposite wall, where the three girls' alcoves were. They all seemed asleep.

The snoring at his left told him Zarkan was out too. Meryk on the other hand…

Being inside the same wall, Link couldn't see him without stepping out of his makeshift bed, at which he'd be spotted if Meryk wasn't asleep.

 _Zelda_ …

He decided to risk it.

He slipped out of his blankets and onto the floor. Complete silence. He looked around. Just as he'd thought, they were all fast asleep. Even Meryk was (thankfully) sleeping.

He edged silently across the floor, up the ladder and through the trapdoor, into the nightscape beyond.

 _I'm coming Zelda._


	8. Chapter 8: Dire Revelations

**Ooh, things are starting to get interesting! We're nowhere near done, but I wanted to thank you all for reading, it means a lot to me! 3**

* * *

 **Chapter 8:**

 **Dire revelations**

From the moment she'd woken up this morning, Zelda had thought her day was going to be boring.

First, she had dance class, during which her teacher tried desperately for her to sail gracefully across the floor. What she managed to do was slip and fall.

She'd then decided to skip her languages class and go practice her lyre in the garden.

Best. Decision. Ever.

Right from the moment Link had stepped out of those bushes, her day had gotten a whole lot better.

Where did he come from? Where did he live? WHY DID HIS NAME SEEM SO FAMILIAR?!

And then her father had caught them.

And her day went back to being a bore. Except it was slightly more entertaining. The guard had taken her to the library, at which point she took a random book and sat down.

The book was about metaphysics though. She doubted she'd find anything about Link in there. But as long as the guard was looking, she couldn't get to the books she needed.

For you see, as we mentioned earlier, Zelda's father was highly overprotective. So much so in fact, that he'd censored the library.

He took out all the books which had any mention of knights, dragons, epic adventures and mysterious legends. In other words, he'd taken out the fantastic and left only fact. Cold, hard, fact.

But the fantastical was still there, if you knew where to look.

Zelda started to softly hum a slow, lullaby-like song, in an attempt to make the guard fall asleep. What with the lullaby and the heavy scent of rosemary (which were hung in every corner of the library, because they supposedly "opened the mind" and "promoted long-term memory" ), she wasn't surprised to see the guard doze off five minutes later.

She stood up and snapped her fingers under the guard's nose. He didn't budge.

Satisfied he was fast asleep, she walked over to one of the shelves, this one with a symbol engraved on it. The symbol represented three triangles piled on top of each other to form a large triangle.

That symbol she knew had a specific name, but she had forgotten at the moment.

Still humming, she traced the triangles with a finger, and it started glowing with a faint blue light. The shelf then revolved on itself, revealing another shelf full of large, old, dusty volumes.

The shelf was magic. Her father really didn't want her to find these. All the more reason to check them out.

She picked what was probably the thickest, oldest, dustiest volume of all, thinking it looked most promising. The title read _Myths and Legends of the Kingdom of Hyrule_. In smaller letters underneath was the subtitle _A Brief Recollection of All Unexplained or Magical Hylian Phenomenon._

Zelda stared at the book wide-eyed. _Brief_ , recollection?

She picked up another volume, this one simply titled _Magic and How to Use it Efficiently_. If that meant not turning herself into a frog, it was quite fine by her.

She took it with her, thinking they might mention a better way for her and Link to communicate. Quill and paper was fine, but it took some time for him to answer, which slowed down the conversation.

She doubted she'd be able to make him _talk_ , but she'd heard about another alternative, which might be even better than actual speech.

She checked the shelf once more, to make sure she wasn't missing anything important before retracing the symbol to make the shelf revolve back to its original state.

She threw a look to the still-sleeping guard before slipping out of the library, the two books under her arm. She then dashed through the halls until she came upon her room, before going in, locking the door behind her and sitting in her bed to study the books.

Zelda didn't remember falling asleep, but she must have eventually, because she woke up in a start at the sound of loud knocking at her door.

 _Link?_ She thought sleepily.

She got up and opened the door, but instead of the young boy, there stood a servant.

 _I'm so stupid…_ She thought. _Link isn't an idiot… He wouldn't just come in through the front door…_

If he does come.

 _He will._

-What is it? Asked Zelda, rubbing her eyes.

-Your supper, your majesty.

-Don't call me like that.

She hated it when people insisted to call her their "majesty". She was a ten-year old girl, not some sort of all-powerful goddess.

The servant looked down uncomfortably.

Feeling bad for snapping at him, she changed the subject and asked in a softer tone:

-Why did you bring my supper here? Aren't I to eat in the dining room, with my father?

-The dining room is still occupied by The King's meeting, your majes-… I mean Zelda.

Zelda sighed. This kind of situation was happening more and more often.

She took the plate of chicken and potatoes before thanking the servant and closing the door.

She absentmindedly ate her supper before leaving the plate outside her door for someone to pick up. She'd usually take it down to the kitchens herself, but now that she was fully awake, she wanted to get back to her reading as fast as possible.

She'd started out with the book on magic, in which she'd quickly found what she was looking for.

She then started reading _Hylian Legends_. At first, she'd decided to read it thoroughly, but now thought better of it. The legends were interesting, but they went on and on and on about stuff that didn't have anything to do with what she was looking for.

So instead, she started flipping the pages, skimming for Link's name. And then, she stopped, because something caught her eye.

Not Link. Zelda.

There was her name in there.

Zelda knew her name was quite popular in the family, but what was it doing in a book of legends? She read on;

 _… Princess Zelda the Fifth, which, like most Zeldas, was captured by Ganondorf (page 687) and saved by the Hero of Time (pages 272, 352 and 461). Like the majority of her incarnations, Zelda IV was blonde and described as very beautiful._

And then the text went on, about other Zeldas, and their descriptions and something about the Triforce of Wisdom.

 _The Triforce of Wisdom was a gift to Hyrule from Golden Goddess Nayru, goddess of wisdom and knowledge. This piece of triforce is usually held by a Zelda, although some exceptions have been known._

Zelda _s_? Incarnations? Triforce? What was this? What did it mean? And who was the Hero of Time?

Zelda felt confused.

She glared at the page for half-a-minute before deciding to look up "The Hero of Time".

She went to the indicated pages, and was completely flabbergasted. This time, it was Link's name.

 _Link the Fourth is probably the most told story of all Hyrule, although Link the Sixth, famous for his wolf metamorphosis is close behind. Most Links bear the Triforce of Courage, and a lot have wielded the Master Sword, or "The Blade of Evil's Bane". Links are known to have, across history, ridded the land of rising evil. In honor of the very first Link, any Hylian orphaned boy with blue eyes would be named Link._

Zelda leaned back in her bed thoughtfully. So Link was named after a horde of princess-saving heroes. Good to know.

Zelda went back to the paragraph about the Zeldas. It mentioned that any first-born girl from the Hylian royal family would be named Zelda, but it also precised that most Zeldas weren't captured, and even less of those even met a Link.

Now, that made her ask herself questions. Was _she_ going to get captured sometime? One thing was for sure: She didn't want to. No matter that there would be someone to save her, she did not want to be some helpless damsel-in-distress. That was how everyone saw her even now, she knew. And she didn't like it one bit.

No matter who would save her.

She didn't want to.

Zelda sighed.

 _It's not so important for now. After all, I only just met him. Doesn't mean I'll get captured!_

 _Right?_

She slammed the book shut. If she were to follow a role model, it would not be her namesakes. Not at all.

She looked outside. _Link, will you come?_


	9. Chapter 9: Night Owls

**I'm participating in Nanowrimo! I'm writing so much, I might have to start doing double updates... Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 9:**

 **Night owls**

You would've thought it would be harder to sneak into a castle at night. The truth? It was twice as easy.

First, it was dark. Darkness made sneaking around a whole lot easier. Sure, he'd had a tough time finding the right alley and brick, but from the moment he had, he was grateful for the shadows. If someone happened to be awake, there was less chance they'd see him then if he was in broad daylight.

The other helping thing was that, to his great surprise, the gardens were empty of guards.

Empty.

And all those things only mad his conviction stronger:

He had to see her again.

It was as undeniable as saying a wall was solid.

As Link got closer to the castle however, a problem presented itself. How will he let her know he was there? He couldn't just call to her, never mind sign. As long as she didn't see him, there was no way to communicate.

Sometimes, he hated not being able to speak.

He sighed heavily and stuffed his hands in his pockets. And then, he got an idea. It was risky and might attract someone else's attention, but he had to try.

He had to see her.

And so he climbed up a tree, sat on a branch and took out his ocarina. He played the song Zelda had played earlier that day. He hoped she would recognize it and come out to talk to him.

Then, on a balcony a bit above him, a door opened and out came Zelda.

-Link, is that you? She whispered to the dark.

Link sighed, relieved that it had worked. He leapt down the tree and waved at her. Catching sight of him, she said laughing:

-You know, when I told you to come back, I didn't mean the very night!

He shrugged. _Well I'm here, aren't I?_

Truth be told, Zelda was also very relieves to see him. She had started to worry he would forget his promise, and not come. She didn't know why, but now it seemed most important.

 _Is that truly a good thing, what with what you just learned…_ Mused some part of her.

 _Be quiet!_

She shook the thoughts out of her head.

-Come on, Slyrunner! There are a few things I need to tell you…

Link nodded and ran up to the balcony. It was pretty high up. He stared at the vines on the wall. _I wonder if…_ He grabbed them: _Yes, I think I could_.

With little hesitation, he climbed up the wall and onto the balcony, feeling slightly proud of himself.

-You know… I'm glad you came. As I said twice already today, I don't see a lot of people my age and, I don't know why, but it kind of seems right you know, no matter what my father says. He was really angry when he saw you, you know. Then of course he takes out his long speech about how I should be more careful and blah blah blah… And then he called you a hooligan, which basically means a young violent troublemaker part of a gang. Are you a hooligan?

Link stared at her blankly, dizzy from all she'd just said.

 _So she feels the same way?_ For some reason, this made him really happy.

Zelda sighed angrily.

-I'm sorry, I speak too much… See what happens? I usually don't talk at all, but once I trust someone enough to talk truthfully, it all spills out like a waterfall. But don't worry, I won't tell my dad about you. I mean, why would I? You're my only friend after all…

Link nodded.

 _Does he react like that to_ _everyone_ _?_ Signed Link, temporarily forgetting Zelda didn't understand.

Without a word, she took her hands from behind her back, , brandishing the quill ink and paper with a smile.

Link nodded to thank her, and then asked the question in written from.

When he'd finished writing, he looked up at Zelda, who had been reading over his shoulder. She nervously bit her lower lip.

-That's complicated…

She stared him in the eye, as if deciding whether or not she should tell him. And he stared back at her bluish/violet irises. She had pretty eyes.

Finally, she opened her mouth:

-You see, there is a reason why he acts this way. I wouldn't say it's like that for everyone, but… She then took a shaky breath and continued:

-I believe it all started when he met my mother. At that time, she was a farmer girl, and she'd just received a bow for her birthday, and she was practicing shooting it. She wasn't very good though, and one of the arrows went straight into the woods. She heard a scream and, terrified of what she'd done, she ran into the woods, searching for whatever she'd hit.

-What she found surprised her quite a lot: It was a boy her age, and he was lying on the ground, her arrow in his shoulder. Little did she know, the boy was actually the prince of Hyrule. My father.

Zelda smiled. Every time her dad talked of this event, he seemed so happy you'd think getting shot was the best thing in the world.

Link on the other hand, was slightly confused as to how this story would answer his question, but he listened anyway. He liked the way she spoke of it.

-She quickly dragged him off to the farmhouse, where she and her family took care of him. He healed quickly, and eventually started helping them around the farm. Ironically, at the spot where my mom shot him, there is still a small, heart-shaped scar.

-They didn't know he was the prince. In the month he'd stayed in my mother's family, tending to the animals, he hadn't told them. So imagine their surprise when knights knocked at the door, asking for the "missing prince"…

Zelda chuckled before continuing:

The family was flabbergasted (and slightly angry) when they discovered that the kid they'd first assumed was some poor wild-child living in the forest was actually one of Hyrule's most important aristocrats. To thank them for all they'd done for him (and also to forgive himself for lying to them), he offered them to live in the castle.

-My mother's family moved in for a while, before going back to the farm, saying they missed it too much. They all went… Except my mother. When, a few years later, my father proposed to her, she only said one word: "Finally!"

Zelda looked up at Link then, who was wearing a priceless Why-in-the-world-are-you-telling-me-all-of-this kind of look. Zelda couldn't help but laugh:

-I'm getting there, don't worry!

She then turned towards the horizon, her expression darkening. All traces of liveliness left her face.

-So, as I was saying, they got married and lived happily. A few years later they had me. We spent happy years together, until one day, when I was five…

Her voice choked, and tears started to appear, but she kept going:

-One day, when I was five, we were eating supper, when… No one knows who did it or why, but when my mom… She… She took her cup of wine and… Well…

Link bowed down his head. He knew this part. Queen Lillian's wine was poisoned.

Zelda breathed in shakily:

-Her… Her eyes Link… They rolled back in her head until they were white… She dropped her cup, and it banged on the floor, and the poisoned drink spilled everywhere… And then she fell from her chair and…

She let out a whimper then, and Link realized she was crying.

He had experience comforting people, what with living with five abandoned kids, but for some reason, this kind of felt… Awkward.

He softly patted her back while she cried. He held her hand, hoping it would help too.

She breathed in heavily and wiped her tears.

-Well yeah… When my mom died, he became overprotective. He clodded me with guards and warnings, not wanting anything to happen to me… Not wanting to lose me too.

Her tone hardened as she continued:

-But what he doesn't understand is that I don't want all that. I don't need any of this, especially all those stupid fancy dresses and jewelry. He doesn't understand that

I'm stronger than he thinks, and that all I want is freedom. I would run away, but that would kill him. So I'm stuck.

Link took the paper:

 _I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought this up._

-No no no no, it's fine! She hurried, It all had to come out eventually, and I'm relieved now. Let's just not talk about it anymore, okay?

He nodded, still slightly shaken from all she'd just said.

And then, out of ideas but desperate for a change of subject, he wrote:

 _Writing is long._

Zelda stared at the page and Link feared he'd said something wrong, but she just burst out laughing.

-True! And about that, I made some research in the library, and I think I found a way for us to "speak". Don't move, I'll be right back!


	10. Chapter 10: To Open a Mind

**This chapter was fun to write! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did...**

 **Disclaimer: the magic spell was made up by me please don't try it at home it won't work and you'll get sick**

* * *

 **Chapter 10:**

 **To open a mind**

Zelda sighed, relieved. She felt light, like someone had taken a huge weight off her shoulders. A weight she hadn't even realized she had until it was lifted.

And so, it was with an extra bounce in her step that she went back out on the balcony, her arms loaded with random-looking objects.

 _Uh, what's all this stuff?_ Wrote Link.

Zelda put down the equipment and opened her magic book, leafing through the pages, looking for that one spell…

Seeing she wasn't going to answer him yet, Link kept to himself.

Zelda meanwhile, was making sure she had taken everything she needed. She knew she'd verified five minutes earlier and she'd had everything, but when it came to spells, she knew it was better to be absolutely sure.

The book, paper quill and ink, rosemary, bowl, water (just in case), chalk, matches, candles, a compass, the kitchen knife she'd engraved with symbols so as to make it ceremonial…

Yup. She had everything. And, in an incredible stroke of luck, the moon was in prime position. Perfect.

Link tapped her shoulder:

 _Uh, Zelda, what are you doing_?

She looked up from the paper to his questioning blue eyes. She smiled:

-Sorry, I was lost in thought. This, -she gestured to the items lying around her- will allow us to speak in each other's minds.

Link's confused expression then was priceless.

Zelda grabbed the book and showed him the diagrams.

-See? It's an old spell used by wizards to communicate over long distances or in battle. We could use it to talk, in a… Relatively more direct way.

Still faced by Link's blank expression, she decided:

-Just stand back, do what I say… Just trust me, okay?

He nodded. He could manage that. Hopefully.

Zelda took the chalk, and helped by the guidelines in her book, drew a large circle divided in a star shape with another small circle in the middle. Then, across the middle circle, were two other circles, facing each other. And then, in almost every available space, she drew in a different symbol. She took a step backwards, admiring her work, and making sure the star's point really faced north.

-You sit here, She said, indicating the circle located at the star's point.

He obeyed unquestioningly.

Humming, Zelda placed the candles outside of the circle, at the spots where the star points merged. The humming wasn't really necessary, Zelda just thought it seemed more… Ritualistic.

Then, going counter-clockwise from the southern-most candle, she lighted them before picking up the bowl filled with dried rosemary. She placed the bowl in the middle circle and sat in the remaining one.

She then took a quill and a random blank piece of paper on which she signed her full name. She then gave it to Link, indicating he should do the same.

He put in his name, then, after a slight hesitation, added in Slyrunner as his last name. He'd been named like that by the princess, and if that didn't make it official, then what did? Plus, he liked the way it sounded. Slyrunner.

Following Zelda's instructions he folded the note in four and placed it on top of the dried flowers.

-Now Link, this is the part where we pledge an allegiance to each other, so our minds may open up to one another without harm. For that to be done, we must have full trust in each other.

Link nodded. It made sense… sort of.

Zelda took a deep breath and added:

-Hear me well, for whatever I say or do you will have to repeat. I am aware you cannot speak, so just think the words real hard, alright?

She then closed her eyes and recited:

-I, Zelda Lillian Van Hylia the eighth, pledge allegiance to Link Slyrunner, to whom I wish to open my mind. From the power of the moon, the stars and the gods above them, I beg you…

Then, before Link could stop her, she took the knife and slashed across the palm of her hand.

The gash wasn't deep, in fact it was only just enough so she could shake a few droplets of blood in the flower and paper-filled bowl, but it still stung a little from the cool night air.

\- …Accept my offering…

She allowed another drop of blood to fall on the rosemary before giving the knife to him.

-Now you do the same.

He swallowed hard, then took the bloody knife from her. Then, thinking as hard as he could, he pledged:

 _I, Link Slyrunner, pledge allegiance to Zelda Lillian Van Hylia the eighth, to whom I wish to open my mind. From the power of the moon, the stars and the gods above them, I beg you…_

He then closed his eyes and, assembling all his courage, slashed the knife on his own hand. His cut was slightly deeper than hers, so there was more blood and it dripped faster. He couldn't help but stare at it in a cryptic fascination. So much of it…

-Over the bowl! Over the bowl! Cried Zelda, afraid that if it fell anywhere else, the spell would be ruined.

Link hurriedly put his hand over the bowl, letting the blood drip there. His ruby-colored blood added to hers on a pile of dried purple flowers and the crisp piece of white paper. _Accept my offering…_

Then, continuing the recitation, Zelda said:

-May it be, that while our blood meets and our names burn, that the barriers of our minds open to one another… Until the world's end or ours.

Link shivered at her voice filled with foreboding.

-Link, put your hand over mine, so that our blood flows as one to seal this pact.

Link obeyed, and as their hands joined over the rosemary, Zelda set it on fire. At first, the flames were slow and small, but then all of a sudden, it grew and danced and roared, the sweet smell of burning rosemary penetrating his nostrils. And then, his hand stung, from the night air, the rosemary smoke, the fire, the blood… Her blood as it entered his veins. He caught sight of the white paper, before it was overwhelmed by the flurry of dancing flames.

And then, out of nowhere, a strong wind picked up, sending sweet-smelling ash everywhere as it buffeted through his hair. It seemed to be whispering to him, in a symphony of small scratchy voices:

- _Minds become one, minds become one, minds become one…_

And then, as if led by that chant, the chalk lines on the ground began to glow of a bluish-green light.

He looked at Zelda then, her eyes closed in concentration, her brown hair whipping in the now-wild wind, her face alit by the circle's soft blue glow… She truly was beautiful.

Just then, he felt like the fire had reached out to his hand, and was now burning up his arm, his shoulder, right up to his head where it smouldered ferociously behind his eyes.

He opened his mouth in a silent scream, wordlessly answering Zelda's cry. So much pain…

And then, his eyes widened because before him the moon and the stars seemed to grow as if they were falling… It was the end, he was going to die…

The light from the stars, the moon, the circles, the fire under his hand and behind his eyes, it was too much, too much…

The world was blinding white, until he closed his eyes so hard they hurt, and he saw only darkness… Sweet, inviting darkness… It would be easy to just stay here, in the floating blackness… _No more pain… No more light…_

No. He had to snap out of it.

He opened his eyes.


	11. Chapter 11: Back

**I had two shortish chapters one after another, so I decided I might as well put them both up... Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 11:**

 **Back**

It was so dark compared to the blinding light that at first, he didn't see anything. Then, one by one, he made out the stars, then the moon, back to their original positions and sizes.

He was alive. Against all the odds, he was alive. They'd both…

 _Zelda!_ He remembered suddenly.

He sat up in a panicked start, then breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her, lying on the ground asleep. He noticed the spell-circle had disappeared as he crawled over to her, taking her shoulder and slowly shaking her awake.

She didn't wake up immediately, so for five terrifying seconds Link imagined the worst, but then she opened her eyes and sat up in a start:

-I'm alive! She then turned to him and remarked: So are you, apparently.

He smiled. Yup. They were alive.

Zelda laughed nervously.

-That was… Something…

He nodded. Yes, it was.

Then, Zelda seemed to be struck by an important thought.

-It's not over.

 _WHAT?!_

Zelda crawled over to the bowl, quickly followed by Link. By some miracle, the porcelain recipient was still in one piece. What with the fire and the wind, he thought it would've broken, melted, or something. But most surprising was what was inside. Apparently, two dried sprigs of rosemary must've been fireproof, because they were the only flowers who hadn't turned to ash.

Zelda took them and gave him one.

-All we have to do now is fall asleep with those over our head, spread these ashes and tomorrow our minds will be connected.

Link breathed a sigh of relief. He'd thought they were going to have to mix the ashes in water and wash their hair with it or something. He'd had enough magic for a while. Although he had a hard time believing he'd fall asleep after all that.

They then stood up, looking at the moon. It looked beautiful, almost peaceful now, but Link wasn't fooled. He now knew the raw extent of its power, and he would now respect it thoroughly.

-I'm glad you came, even after what happened this morning. I admit I was afraid you wouldn't, but now I realize I shouldn't have worried. However… You'd better be going, before my father catches us again. I doubt he'd be more merciful the second time.

Link smiled. He doubted that too.

She looked down again, probably in hesitation or to build up her courage for when she turned at him and said:

-Just promise me you'll be back, alright?

Her eyes at that moment… They were filled with pleading, almost like her life depended on the answer to this one question. Then again, maybe it did.

Under the stars, her hair was lighted by moonbeams, and her violet irises reflected the night sky. Even if he'd been able to speak, it would've been some senseless babble at this point.

He took her hand, nodded, and before he could change his mind he jumped down the balcony and ran off in the night air.

Sometimes, just sometimes, he was happy he couldn't speak.


	12. Chapter 12: Mindbender

**Another new character, yay! He's one of my favourites too... Enjoy, and see you next week!**

* * *

 **Chapter 12:**

 **Mindbender**

The next morning, Link awoke to a stabbing sensation to his stomach. At first, he assumed it was Jenifaël who had somehow found out of his escapade the other night, but when he opened his eyes to see a pair of lime-green irises with slitted pupils, he knew it was the cat. Just like he picked up younger kids, Maeka insisted to give houses to stray cats, to Jenifaël's great dismay.

The cat stared at Link, and let out a small meow.

-Myu, let poor Link sleep! Scolded Maeka as she picked up the black-and-white cat. She then took a look at Link and added:

-You seem… Different. Are you okay?

He rubbed his forehead with his left hand. For some reason, his head throbbed heavily, like…

And then, it all rushed back to him. The circle, the stars, the rosemary, the cut… Zelda…

He shot a look at his bandaged right hand, making sure it was out of sight under the covers.

-The weird thing is he actually woke up. Every morning, it surprises me that he's still able to open his eyes, called out Zarkan.

-Will you shut _up_? Snapped Maeka at him.

-Maeka… Warned Jenifaël

And then, all of a sudden and with practically no warning, they were arguing.

Meanwhile, Link was thinking. The rosemary was still hanging over him, along with all the random stuff he liked to collect. So he should now be able to speak to Zelda's mind, right? And yet…

He looked around at the five other people in the room, now animatedly discussing something. He could hear them and see them, but now he could also _feel_ them. He could literally feel their minds shifting and thriving as they fought. They felt a bit like large bubbles which, when popped or penetrated (because popping someone's mind does not sound like the best thing to do) by his own, would spill all their thoughts and feelings to him. It was scary, yet strangely fascinating.

He then felt a tingling sensation on his right hand, the one where he'd cut himself the night before.

 _What the…_

He took it out of his blanket, palm facing upwards. He slowly, carefully untied the bloody cloth he'd used to bandage it, and his eyes widened. Because what had, the day before been a large bleeding gash was now a thin white scar.

 _How…_

And then he looked at the back of his hand. You wouldn't have thought it possible, but what he found there surprised him even more. Three golden triangles forming a larger one, glowing of a faint golden light. He noticed the lower right one shone a bit brighter before fading, until the whole thing looked like nothing more than a birthmark.

 _Why?_

He felt a pair of eyes on him then (maybe it was his new mind-powers or maybe just instinct), and he looked up, hiding his hand behind his back. He calmed down when he saw it was only the cat, staring at him over Maeka's shoulder.

Link sighed, relieved.

And then it spoke.

 _Hmm… I see. Tell me boy, since when are you a mind reader?_


	13. Chapter 13: Triangles

**I'm two days late! And worst of all, I don't really have an excuse... Take this double update as an apology 3**

* * *

 **Chapter 13:**

 **Triangles**

Zelda woke up that morning with a dull thudding in her head. She wondered if it was normal, but then again, nothing about magic was. The fact that her hand was also fully healed was only more proof of that.

Zelda huffed heavily. She didn't feel like getting up. It took too much effort. She took a deep breath:

 _Come on Zelda, you can do it!_

She swung her legs out of bed and stood up… Before crashing back to the floor.

 _Ow._

She squinted through her right eye. And then she opened the other. And then they were both wide open. On the back of her hand… Was that… the Triforce?

 _What is the Triforce doing on my hand?!_

At just that moment, she heard an urgent knocking:

-Miss Zelda, are you alright? Called out a frightened voice on the other side of the door.

Uh oh. This was bad. If they saw the mark…

-I'm fine! She hurriedly called back: I just, uh… Fell from my bed!

-Are you sure?

-Yes, quite! She insisted.

 _She's going to come in anyways…_ Thought Zelda as she stood up, ignoring the wave of nausea that hit her.

-Well I'm sorry miss, but I'll have to come in eventually to give you your morning tea!

Meanwhile, Zelda scoured her dresser, the world swaying beneath her feet. There had to be one around there somewhere…

Found it!

-I'm coming in your majesty! Declared the servant.

Zelda slipped on the glove as she walked in, a platter with a teakettle and a cup in her hands. She stopped as she saw the young princess.

-Is miss sure she's alright? She looks pretty pale…

Zelda absolutely despised how they talked to her in the third person.

-I'm fine.

The walls were moving a bit more than they should, but she was fine. The lady-in-waiting seemed doubtful of this.

-Why is miss wearing a glove? She inquired.

-I was cold.

-Why is miss only wearing _one_ glove? Questioned the servant again.

-Only one arm was cold.

The servant nodded very slowly.

-Miss should drink her tea.

Zelda gritted her teeth. She didn't _want_ tea. She hated the stuff. She didn't understand why they made her swallow this foul drink every morning. When she asked, she usually got one of two answers.

One: It's good for you!

Two: Because the king said so. Now drink.

Zelda sighed again as the servant walked to the bedroom's table where she set the platter and served the girl a cup.

-Miss better drink up before it gets cold!

Zelda sat down and poured in at least five spoonfuls of sugar (to make the taste actually _bearable_ ).

-When Miss is done with her tea, she has been invited to breakfast with her father.

Zelda sighed once again. She found that whole invite-your-daughter-to-breakfast-even-if-you-both-live-under-the-same-roof-and-eat-together-all-the-time-anyways thing pretty useless, if not to say ridiculous.

She sipped her tea a little before looking up at the servant, and asking:

-What is your name?

-Nor… Noremia… she said, obviously taken aback by the question.

Zelda put down her teacup and declared:

-You know Noremia, I'm only ten years old. I won't eat you alive if you call me by my name.

Noremia seemed a bit shocked at first, but then she smiled and seemed to relax a little.

-That seems fine by me, my majes… Zelda.

 _It'll take awhile, but she'll get used to it eventually_ , reasoned Zelda as she finished her tea and smiled back.

-You can go now. I'll bring this all back to the kitchen myself. It's on my way.

-Are you sure?

-Yes. Have a good day!

-Same to you, Said Noremia who then curtsied and headed off.

Zelda arrived down the stairs a few minutes later wearing one of those long sleeved dresses where the sleeves reached between her fingers. She'd chosen it in an attempt to hide the Triforce from her father. She had that feeling that if he saw it, he'd _know_ she'd seen Link again. She didn't know how he would, but he _would_ know. And he wouldn't allow it.

-Well hello Zelda my dear! Please, come have a seat! He called to her.

She sat on the chair he gestured to, and helped herself to some bread and honey and a glass of apple juice.

-Did you sleep well? He asked casually.

 _What does he mean by that?!_ Worried Zelda.

-No.

It wasn't the whole truth, but it was as close as she dared.

-What do you mean by that? He asked, suddenly suspicious.

 _Oh. So he hadn't been insinuating anything earlier. Good to know._

-I meant that I had a hard time falling asleep, She hurried. And then, for good measure, she added:

-I also had a weird dream.

-A weird dream? He inquired.

-Uh… Yeah… In it, I cut myself and fell… In… A big rosemary bush.

He nodded slowly:

-Uh huh…

-Yeah, it's weird.

They ate awhile in silence before he broke it again.

-You know Zelda, I thought about what you told me yesterday, and…

Wait. What exactly had she told him yesterday? And then, their fight from the other day rushed back to her. Oh no.

-…I figured it really must be hard for you to be alone all day…

At this point, Zelda only knew one thing: She did NOT like where this was going.

-I invited over prince Tuk of Ordona.

Zelda choked on her juice.

-You did WHAT?!

The King ignored her question completely.

-You'll see, he's the son of the lord of the Ordona region. He is your age, and educated, and…

-You invited a guy named STUCK to meet me? What kind of name is STUCK?!

-…It's Tuk, actually. He corrected.

-Still a strange name! Insisted Zelda.

-It doesn't matter what his name is. He's coming here to meet you, end of story.

-No, not end of story! I'm not just going to befriend some random stranger!

-That's what you did yesterday, He reminded her with a bitter note.

-Link's different!

-How so? He asked skeptically.

She didn't say anything. Even if she found a way to describe them, he'd never understand those feelings. Never.

She sighed:

-Fine. I'll try.


	14. Chapter 14: Waking Up to the World

**:3c**

* * *

 **Chapter 14:**

 **Waking up to the world**

Link blinked several times, incredulous, before reaching out to the cat's conscience and asking:

 _So you can speak?_ You couldn't say he wasn't surprised, but in a way, he wasn't. He'd always known cats were smarter than they seemed… And they seemed pretty smart to start with.

 _Don't worry, they can't hear us. As long as I'm your main focus, you won't have any problems._ Reassured the cat.

-Link, a little help here…

Jenifaël's voice jolted him back to reality. He realized they were all still fighting , screaming at each other over he-didn't-know-just-what, but he didn't feel intent on knowing. All he cared about was stopping them… And figuring out this whole mindreading thing.

He took out his ocarina and blew in it as hard as he could, producing a loud shrilling whistle that made everyone yell and cover their ears. Jenifaël then proceeded to tell the now-quiet children to "stop it and not dare to start it over again… Or else."

They all mumbled apologies before going back to their activities.

Jenifaël then turned to Link, instructing:

-Orf brought us some bread earlier. We left you a slice, thinking you'd be hungry when you'd _finally_ wake up.

Jenifaël sounded grumpy, but what with the early morning, the fighting kids and the busy day she had ahead of her, it was understandable. She flipped her scarlet hair over her shoulder before declaring:

-I'm going to work. Maeka, you're coming with me, Zarkan, Link, you keep an eye on these two, She ordered as she designated Meryk and Willow.

-Now, you two be nice… And you too Zarkan.

Zarkan hissed through his teeth as only response.

Jenifaël and Maeka headed upstairs and disappeared through the curtains.

-Bye Jeni! Called out Willow before grabbing Link's hand and saying:

-Come on, let's go outside.

"Outside" in this case happened to be the inn's garden… Or it used to be anyway. Now, because of the drought (and also because Orf is a bad gardener) it was a smallish expanse of dried yellow grass, speckled with the occasional dry twigs and dead dandelions. It wasn't much, but to Willow, it was a whole other world.

Zarkan sighed loudly:

-You two have fun and stay out of my way _PLEASE_ …

Willow stuck out her tongue at him and dragged Meryk to play whatever crazy game she'd invent with her mind whose complexity Link just began understanding. He pondered what she'd do if this garden was anything like the castle's. She'd probably insist on exploring every inch of it, over and over again, picking any flower that seemed different to her.

He sighed. If only.

 _It's amazing, isn't it?_ Asked the cat, who apparently just came up behind him. It was strange that he'd barely discovered its ability to speak, and already he was used to it.

Link slowly sat down, his back leaning on a dead tree stump. The cat curled up next to him.

 _If someone had told me I'd be able to read people's minds a week ago, I would've ran away as fast as I could, believing him crazy._

The cat looked up at him, his whiskers lifted up so it looked like he was smiling.

 _Ironic, isn't it?_

Link smiled back, as the cat blinked, its pupils thinning a little as it looked at the sun.

 _How did you come by this power anyway? Because it is new, isn't it?_ Asked the cat.

 _It's a long story…_

 _It's a long morning._

Link hesitated at first, but then he told him everything: how he'd met Zelda, the King who chased him out, even the Promise he'd made to her. He also told him about what happened when he'd came back to see her, the ceremony they'd performed and finally, of the strange triangles that had appeared on his hand.

The cat's ears pricked at that. _Triangles?_

Link nodded slowly.

 _Show me._

Link hesitated. What was so special about those triangles to make the cat react that way? Should he really show them to it? _What did this all mean?!_ …And why was he afraid of a cat anyway?

Trembling nonetheless, Link raised his right hand for the cat to see. Its eyes widened, in fear or surprise Link couldn't tell.

 _You can't show this to anyone else._

Link blinked, a little confused.

 _Why? What's so special about them?_

The cat looked around, suspicious all of a sudden.

 _I doubt I am the best suited to tell you this…_

The triangles felt hot on his skin.

 _What do you mean?_

 _Stay here, I'll be back._

 _Wait, I don't understand…_

The cat bounded off, leaving a bewildered Link alone with his thoughts. _What happened to the world?_ Yesterday, he was just a child who was a thief struggling to keep him and his family alive. Now he was… He wasn't even sure. Some mind-reading magician of myth? Possibly a princess's best and only friend?

-You have to tell me something.

Link had been so lost in his thoughts, he hadn't seen Zarkan stalking over. Link sprang to reality, hurriedly shoving his hand in his pocket. Luckily, Zarkan didn't seem to notice.

-You didn't really see the princess, did you?

Link rolled his eyes. _Not this_ _again_ _…_

-Did you?!

Link nodded. Zarkan sighed, annoyed.

-I don't think you understand my question: I do not believe you saw the princess. Where were you _really_?

Link raised his left hand in an _I already told you_ kind of way.

-Never mind! Growled Zarkan as he walked off to his corner and went back to using his knife to sharpen a stick.

As if on cue, the cat bounded in at that very moment, with… Was that a mouse in its mouth?

 _No, not a mouse._ He realized as Myu set them down in front of him. _Gloves._

 _Put them on._ Said the cat. _You can't show this to anyone, understood?_

 _But why?_

 _It's dangerous._ Bluntly answered the cat.

 _How? What do you mean?_

The cat didn't answer, just oriented its head towards the sun, which was already a little over the houses. Guessing he wouldn't say anything until he put the gloves on, Link picked them up and slipped them on.

They were nice gloves too. Made out of a dusty brown leather, they were fingerless, leaving his fingers free to move as they would (which is important when you live on thieving and music). He decided he liked them.

But he still did not understand.

Myu was now looking at Willow and Meryk, the latter of which struggled to keep up with Willow's crazy game and rules. At last, he spoke.

 _You are a wonderful person, Link. I… Those people had nowhere to go, but you helped them, and brought meaning back into their lives. Promise me you'll never change that._

 _I promise._


	15. Chapter 15: The Honorable Tuk

**Sorry for updating late! Finals have started, and I have a lot less time to write... I hope you enjoy it anyways!**

 **(I am excited for you guys to read this one though, it introduces one of my fave characters!)**

* * *

 **Chapter 15:**

 **The Honorable Prince Tuk of Ordona**

Zelda sighed heavily. This was going to be absolutely and utterly pointless. She could smell it from here.

But, she had promised she would at least try. And try she would.

-What's with all the ceremonial stuff? Asked Narissa as she joined Zelda on the balcony where she was standing.

Although slightly intimidating in appearance, Narissa was probably one of the most amazing singers in the land. She was also Zelda's greatest confident, which might seem strange considering she was almost twelve years older than Zelda, but she had a childish spirit and acted a lot younger than she was. She had dark blackish hair and sparkling green eyes, who were now staring at the straight line of guards at the castle's entrance.

-Dad invited some son of a landlord to meet me.

A confused look appeared on Narissa's face.

-Wait, what? Aren't you too young to get married?

-You think he wants me to _marry_ him?! Panickedly choked the young girl.

-Well, when a king invites over some guy… Started Narissa.

-That's just… Ridiculous! Preposterous! Cried Zelda, looking for the right word to describe just how stupid this hypothesis was.

-What did he say was the reason again?

-He "noticed" I was lonely.

-Aah, he finally saw it as it is! Err… No offence.

Zelda sighed. After a small moment of silence, Narissa asked:

-What made him notice?

-What happened yesterday. Offered Zelda as only response.

-Umm, maybe I'm stupid or extremely misinformed, but I have no clue what happened yesterday.

That was surprising. Narissa was usually the go-to person for castle gossip.

 _Should I tell her?_ Wondered Zelda. She certainly could not tell her about that night visit, or the spell (Narissa also had a gift to twist whatever she heard into something _completely_ different). Maybe just when she'd met him for the first time. It would tell her enough.

-Sure I'll explain to you, while we wait for the "Honorable Prince Tuk of Ordona".

By the time the carriage came, Zelda was completely dismoraled. She'd told her friend all about yesterday's daytime encounter with the stranger, and Narissa (good actress as she was) pretended she didn't know a thing.

-He's coming from Ordona, right? She asked, and then went on without waiting for an answer.

-I heard that's where they make the best goat cheese. I bet they're bringing lots of goat cheese in that carriage. Okay Zelda, here's the plan: you distract them with your innocent princessy beauty while I sneak up behind them and take all the goat cheese. And then, we lock ourselves in your room, tell 'em you're sick and eat it all. It's brilliant!

This of course, was so ridiculous even Zelda in her grim mood was laughing hysterically.

-Narissa, you were allowed to stay at the condition that you'd behave. You are not doing a good job, Mumbled the King as he came up behind them.

-I'm most terribly sorry, my King. You see, I thought Zelda would be so distraught at the thought of meeting someone of such blinding importance. If you please, I will now remain silent.

-No, that'll be alright! Hurriedly answered The King. The last time she'd said that, Zelda's singing lessons had been canceled for more than a week.

Narissa shrugged, an innocent smile on her face.

-As you wish, sir.

The King sighed. The only reason he hadn't fired her yet was because Zelda liked her company so much, and she really was a great singing teacher.

The carriage stopped, roughly five meters away.

-This should be interesting… Muttered Narissa as a guard walked over to open the door.

-Narissa… Please be quiet… Groaned The King.

-EXCUSE ME?! DID YOU JUST CALL ME FAT?!

-WHAT?! NO!

-YES YOU DID! THAT'S CALLED HYPOCRISY, MISTER! Screamed Narissa back, even as she slipped a finger behind her back and pointed to the door. Zelda understood.

-Thanks Narissa! She whispered as, taking advantage of the chaotic situation, she slipped away.

 _That'll teach them all to try to contain me!_ She thought as she raced towards her room.

Then, she had no idea she was about to make the worst mistake of her life.


End file.
